Welcome to the first Memorial page under our Adopt a Memorial Program. The Adopt a Memorial Program was the brain child of our Former National Secretary, Jennifer Booth, and it is fitting that she submitted the first. She has chosen to Honor U.S. Army SPC. Wilfredo Perez, Jr.

To the Parents and Family of SPC. Perez, I want you to know that as our first your loved one will always hold a special place of Honor in the hearts of all of us here at F.L.A.G.. Your sacrifice and that of SPC. Perez is appreciated more than you will ever know and it will never be forgotten. May God Bless you all.

Richard A. Hall

Chairman, F.L.A.G.

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This Memorial Day, I visited the memorial I adopted, of Spc. Wilfredo Perez, Jr. This young man was the third soldier to be killed in Connecticut and the first of Norwalk to die in battle since the early sixties. Junior Perez, as he was known to his family and friends, died from a grenade attack while guarding a Children's hospital in BaQubah, Iraq.

I met his father, Wilfredo, Sr. who looked my age; certainly this man did not have a child old enough to die fighting in a war. I met Mr. Perez Sr. while attending the dedication ceremony for his memorial in South Norwalk.

We spoke for about a half an hour, and he appreciated that I came to pay my respects.

While speaking to this man, I could tell that this was someone who had been completely humbled and wanted to do whatever it took to honor his son, so that his son did not die in vain.

He has scholarship funds and memorial funds set up in Junior's name. He does work with and for veterans of Connecticut and worked on the projects to honor the 612 war dead in Connecticut. He was soft spoken and genuinely grateful that I was interested in coming out.

I felt a bit strange by it all, listening to his emotions, feeling like I was speaking to a celebrity of sorts- I had that feeling of having a loss for words, I felt like I stuttered a bit. I remember feeling somewhat awestruck by this man who loved his son so much, and I felt so bad that this wonderful man lost his child so horrifically.

Since not from here, it's hard for me to choose a memorial that isn't simply interesting I chose Junior's because I feel a bit of personal connection there, as I can bear witness to how much his father loves and honors him.

Should I make it to Heaven before his father, perhaps I can relay this to Junior up there- that I had this chance to not only pay my respects to the hero, but to the man who brought the hero into the world.

I arrived at the memorial; I placed my flag beside the marker and took several pictures to share. I had the benefit of talking with a passerby, walking his dog, who was a WWII veteran, who was humbled I was out there.

This man and I spoke for a while, and he explained to me he takes his dog by there every day to visit the memorial, and he was so happy to see someone else who wasn't related was doing the same.

On this Memorial Day, 2009, I would like to take a moment to bless the Perez family. You are in my thoughts and prayers, and I am personally grateful for your sacrifices as well as the bravery you helped instill in your son, so that I may have the freedom and safety to place a flag on his marker; among all the other things in life that I tend to take for granted. May SPC. Wilfredo Perez, Jr. rest in peace.

Jennifer Booth

Former National Secretary

F.L.A.G.